Alpha-cellulose powder compositions and methods of absorbing body fluids from human skin



United States Patent ALPHA-CELLULOSE POWDER COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS OFABSORBING BODY FLUIDS FROM HUMAN SKIN Cleveland J. White, 6525 NorthAve, Oak Park, Ill.; Werner K. Stiefel, Oak Hill, N.Y.; and Leonard R.Ciufo, Greenville, N.Y. No Drawing. Filed June 13, 1962, Ser. No.202,054 5 Claims. (Cl. 167-90) This invention relates to an improvedmeans for absorbing fluids from the skin with a minimum amount ofirritation of intertrigenous portions of the skin.

The absorptive powders which are commonly referred to as baby powders inthe trade are all based on formulations comprising a major proportion oftalc. While talc does have some desirable properties when used as anabsorptive powder, e.g., it possesses good slip, smoothness, and clingswell to the skin, yet when it is wetted with water or with body fluidsand allowed to dry it forms hard agglomerates which can be extremelyirritating in the tender intertrigenous areas of the skin.

Because the absorptive powers of talc are not very good, cornstarch isfrequently added to the talc base of baby powders. Starch, though notsubject to as severe caking as talc, unfortunately does provide anexcellent medium for bacterial growth, as a result of which degradationproducts can be potent primary irritants.

Boric acid is often added to starch-talc powders in order to inhibit thebacterial growth which is apt to otherwise take place in thecomposition; however, it is considered to be a dangerous material to useover large areas of infant skin and especially where maceration ordenudation may exist.

Powdered maize cob, such as the product described in United StatesPatent No. 2,890,151, is an admirable absorptive powder which is farsuperior to talc, cornstarch, and similar components of commercialabsorptive powders, however, it does have a tendency, when wetted, tostain clothing, diapers, undergarments, and the like, with which itcomes in contact, and it has a slightly coarse feel due to the nature ofthe ground maize cob particles.

At the present time there is no commercially available powder whichfully meets all of the requirements of a truly satisfactory baby powder,i.e., which possesses a high degree of absorbency, a lack of caking orcrusting, an anti-friction effect, a bacteriostatic action, which issmooth and silky to the touch, does not stain when wetted with skinexudates and other body fluids, and which is characterized by an absenceof primary irritants or of potentially dangerous additives.

The present invention provides a baby powder which does not stain, ishighly absorbent, soft and smooth, is free of starch and boric acid andyet is completely noncaking and non-crusting. Furthermore, it hasexcellent smoothness and slip, and adheres well to the skin. It can soakup and retain many times its own weight of moisture, thus assisting inkeeping intertrigenous areas of the skin dry while preventing moisturemaceration, the latter being frequently the first breach in the skinsnatural defenses. In a preferred form the baby powder of the presentinvention contains effective bacteriostatic and fungistatic agents.

One essential component of our improved baby powder is alpha-cellulose,preferably in the form of finely divided chemically purified woodcellulose fibers of high alphacellulose content. When bone dry theproduct is 99.5 percent plus pure cellulose. It consists of fibers whichare, desirably, from about to about 25 microns in diameter and in lengthaverage from about 35 to about 165 microns. One commercial form of suchan alpha-cellulose product is known as Solka-Floc, and is manufacturedby the Brown Company, Boston 14, Mass.

While the above described finely divided chemically purified woodcellulose fibers are useful per se for removing body fluids from theskin, we prefer to include some talc as a component for the purpose ofimproving the slip and reducing bulking and budging when sifting fromthe can.

A typical formulation of a baby powder in accordance with our inventionis set forth below:

Example I Percent Talc 40 Microporous cellulose in the form of finelydivided, chemically purified wood cellulose fibers of 15 to 25 micronsin diameter and 35 to microns in average length 53.88 Powdered maizecob, having a preferred particle size which ranges from that which willpass through a IOU-mesh screen to that which will be first retained on a400-mesh screen 5 Hexachlorophene 0.5 p-Chloro-m-xylenol 0.5 Perfume0.12

The microporous cellulose components of the above composition soak upand retain many times their weight in moisture, thus assisting inkeeping skin folds dry, preventing moisture maceration and agglomerationof the particles.

The superior absorptivity of the composition of the present inventionwas demonstrated on a side-by-side comparison basis against 14 of themost popular commercially available baby powders. In these tests aspecially developed standardized procedure was used in which a weighedsample was mixed with an excess of water, filtered, and the water whichwas absorbed determined by difference. The data obtained appear below.

Absorptivity (grams water Powder: per grams dry powder) Powder A (Thecomposition of Example I) 3.0 Powder B 1.0

lPowder C 1.5

Powder D 1.0

Powder E 1.0

Powder F 1.2

Powder G 1.0

PowderH 1.1

Powder I 1.3 'Powder J 1.5

Powder K 1.5

Powder L 1.4

'Powder M 1.0

Powder N 1.0 Powder O 1.5

It is to be understood that finely divided alpha-cellulose can be usedalone as a body fluid absorbent from the skin, although we have found itpreferable to include powdered talc so as to improve the cling,smoothness, slip and flow properties of our powder. We also prefer toinclude bactericidal and fungicidal materials commonly used in babypowders, besides the ones specifically men tioned.

Obviously, many modifications and variations in the kind and amount ofingredients over and above the preferred form of the essentialalpha-cellulose, namely finely-divided chemically purified woodcellulose fibers, as described above can be used, as those skilled inthe art will recognize, and it is not intended, therefore, to limit theinvention except as required by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An improved method of absorbing body fluids from the human skin whileminimizing irritation of intertrigenous areas of the skin comprisingcontacting the skin with a composition which consists essentially ofalpha-cellulose in finely divided form.

2. A composition for absorbing body fluids from the human skin whileminimizing irritation of intertrigenous areas of the skin whichcomprises an effective amount of substantially pure alpha-cellulose andtalc.

3. An improved method of absorbing body fluids from the human skin whichcomprises contacting the skin vwith a composition containing anefiective amount of finely divided fibers of essentially pure woodcellulose which are from about 15 to 25 microns in diameter and 35 to165 microns in average length.

4. An improved method of absorbing body fluids from human skin whileminimizing irritation of intertrigenous areas of the skin whichcomprises contacting the skin with a composition containing an etfectiveamount of essentially pure alpha-cellulose in finely divided form.

5. A composition for absorbing body 'fiuids from the human skin whileminimizing irritation of intertrigenous areas of the skin whichcomprises an effective amount of microporous alpha-cellulose in the formof finely divided essentially pure wood cellulose fibers of 15 tomicrons in diameter and to microns in average length and powdered talc.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCESChemical Abs., vol. 46, 1952, p. 3758d.

Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Reinhold Pub. Co., N.Y. 6th Ed., 1961,page 1059.

Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Reinhold Pub. Co., N.Y. 1956, page 1017.

JULIAN S. LEVITT, Primary Examiner.

FRANK CACCIAPAGLIA, JR., Examiner.

A. P. FAGELSON, V. C. CLARKE, Assistant Examiners.

3. AN IMPROVED METHOD OF ABSORBING BODY FLUIDS FROM THE HUMAN SKIN WHICHCOMPRISES CONTACTING THE SKIN WITH A COMPOSITION CONTAINING AN EFFECTIVEAMOUNT OF FINELY DIVIDED FIBERS OF ESSENTIALY PURE WOOD CELLULOSE WHICHARE FROM ABOUT 15 TO 25 MICRONS IN DIAMETER AND 35 TO 165 MICRONS INAVERAGE LENGTH.